Various wireless standards, such as Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) standards 802.11a/b/c/e/g/i (referred to collectively as IEEE 802.11), provide for wireless connectivity between a wireless station and an infrastructure network (e.g., the Internet) via an access point. Processes covered by these standards include the association of a wireless station with an access point, the transmission of data from wireless station to infrastructure network, and vice versa, via the access point, communication between wireless stations via an access point, and the like.
Some wireless standards, such as the direct link protocol (DLP) proposed for inclusion in IEEE 802.11e, provide a technique for initiating direct communications between wireless stations without the access point acting as an intermediary for the forwarding the data frames. The direct communications are commonly referred to as a wireless “direct link.” These conventional direct link processes, however, require active cooperation from the access point in initiating and establishing the direct link. It will be appreciated that the access point may be configured to prevent the establishment of a direct link or may be incapable of supporting direct link capabilities (e.g., modulation type) preferred by the wireless stations. Wireless stations using conventional direct link techniques therefore may be unable to establish a direct link or may restricted to establishing and using a direct link with capabilities limited to the supported capabilities of the access point.
While providing for the establishment of a direct link in limited instances, conventional wireless techniques fail to provide an adequate technique for identifying nearby wireless stations with which a direct link may be established. Further, conventional wireless standards fail to provide processes that allow a wireless user to identify nearby users of wireless stations with whom the wireless user may want to meet or converse.
Accordingly, techniques for establishing a direct link independent of an access point and for identifying proximate wireless stations users would be advantageous.